


Siren's Call

by tgtwDA (theghoulthatwrites)



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: F/M, MY FIRST AU YAAAAAAAAAAS, i really like the idea of siren hawke, i tried really hard on this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-12 12:37:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7934824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theghoulthatwrites/pseuds/tgtwDA
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Working aboard one of Varric's vessels, Fenris sees a most unusual creature and hears a beautiful song. What does it mean? Who or what is the creature?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Siren's Call

Vivien Hawke lounged on a large rock off the Wounded Coast, basking in the warm sunlight. It was physically taxing of her to turn into a human for such a long period of time, but Varric demanded she be present for his mischief. Her long tail splashed in the water, too long to rest completely on the rock. With nothing to do but lie in the sun, she sang. Her melodic voice ringing out against the other rocks and waves of the restless sea.

-

Fenris finished tying the sail of the ship down and wiped the sweat off his brow with his arm. It had been a long day on the water, travelling back and forth between ports with goods. Sometimes he wondered why he ever worked on these ships but he remembered that it was the only way for him to gain coin legally. And that Varric was being a true friend when he offered Fenris the opportunity to work on some of the Viscount's own merchant ships.

He leaned against the wall of the boat, staring out at the salty sea. The water had been rough today, the wind whipping back and forth along the coast. It had been hard to keep the ship in the direction of Kirkwall and Fenris just wanted to get home in one piece. A storm is coming, he thought. Fenris hoped that they would make it to port before the storm blew in. Luckily, with the harsher winds of the day, that seemed much more possible.

A strange twinkle caught the elf's eye and Fenris looked in the direction it came from. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a purple, scaled thing - creature - lying atop a rock. Its large purple tail hung off the edge of the rock and splashed back and forth in the water. Fenris gazed hard at the creature on the rock, eyes taking in every detail he could see from a distance. 

The first thing he noticed was that the creature was lying on its back, but its breasts were covered by glistening purple scales. Its short black hair ruffled in the winds.

Along with the wind came a tinkling of a voice. Fenris' ears twitched as he looked around for the source of the sound. It was a soft voice singing a song in a language he had never heard. Not that he knew many languages, he admitted to himself. But the song was light, like a lullaby sung to lull an infant to sleep. Or a tune an older woman might hum while she worked on her knitting in front of the fire. It almost sounded sad, in a way.

Entranced, Fenris grabbed the nearest crewmate and pulled him close. "Do you hear that?" he grumbled.

The crewmate cocked his head to the side and listened for a moment. "Dunno what yer hearin', mate, but ain't nothing but the sound o' waves crashin' on the rocks."

Fenris eyed the crew member. Clearly this man is deaf, he thought. So he grabbed another man, and another, all giving much the same answer. It seemed as though the song could only be heard by him, as impossible as that sounded. 

"I'd be careful o' that, mate," the last man laughed. "There's been rumors o' a siren 'round these parts."

"A siren?" Fenris was puzzled. By all accounts, sirens were sea creatures that lured men to their deaths with their voices. But Fenris felt no pull from this voice, only a warmth in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't seem to place.

Suddenly, the voice was gone from his ears. Fenris' head whipped around to find that the rock was now empty. Whatever creature it was, he was not going to learn now.

-

That night, the storm raged on outside as the heavens opened up and released a deluge onto all of Kirkwall. Fenris sat in the Hanged Man, surrounded by his companions, nursing a pint of ale. Varric had already commented on his brooding multiple times but he couldn't help it. The experience with that creature lingered in his mind and Fenris couldn't put it out. He wanted to know what the creature was and why he was the only person that could hear its song.

Just as he was about to take a sip from his mug, the song played once more. This time Fenris knew not to look about for fear of alerting his companions that something was wrong. He did not want to invite their curiosity as well as his. 

This time, the song was lower and there were no words. As if the creature were truly humming this time. A large bang sounded at the front of the building and Fenris looked over with everybody else.

A young woman stood, dripping wet, at the entrance to the bar. She shook the water from her short black hair and hung her drenched coat on a peg sticking out of the wall.

"Hawke, just in time!" Varric's voice boomed from the table, addressing the newcomer. "Come join us for this round of Wicked Grace!"

The song stopped.

The newcomer, Hawke, slowly made her way towards the table and stood awkwardly. She nodded to Varric but looked otherwise completely out of place. 

"Hawke, meet the team." Slowly Varric introduced Hawke to the crowd at the table. Isabela gave a sultry grin, Sebastian nodded politely, Merrill squeaked a greeting, Anders nodded gruffly, and Aveline shook Hawke's hand roughly. Finally, it came to Fenris' turn to be introduced and the elf looked up from his ale in time to hear his name.

"And this is Broody- I mean Fenris..." Varric said with a large grin. "I think you two will get along well, what with you both not talking tonight."

Hawke lightly shoved Varric's shoulder playfully. "I talk plenty, dwarf. I'm just not feeling up to it tonight."

Fenris noticed that her voice was somewhat gravelly, as if she were sick. Silently he offered his mug of ale to the woman. 

Hawke looked from the mug back to Fenris quizzically. Was this "broody elf" really offering her his drink? she thought in disbelief. From what she had heard about Fenris from Varric, the elf never shared with anyone. Maybe it was the sound of her voice that propelled him to offer a drink. 

Slowly, so as not to alarm him, Hawke slid into the booth beside the elf and took the mug from his hand. She lifted it and took a large swig before returning it. "Thank you, Fenris."

Fenris nodded, a faint blush dusting across his cheeks. He ducked his head and took a deep breath. What was wrong with him? He was acting like some blighted youth in front of his crush, he berated himself. He did not know this woman. And yet he shared his drink with her. What was it about this woman?

When he took a breath, his senses were assaulted by sea air. The woman sitting beside him smelled entirely of the sea. He could almost envision himself lying on the sand of the Wounded Coast, relaxing into the welcoming heat of the sun. His eyes snapped open when he heard her voice.

"So, Fenris," Hawke interrupted his musings. "Are those tattoos?"

"No," he grunted back. He offered no explanation beyond that. Hawke fell silent for a moment before turning her attentions towards Varric where he was telling another of his many stories.

Fenris returned to his brooding, mind still focused on the creature he saw while working on the ship. Finally, he decided to forego his embarrassment and ask Varric.

"Varric," he called to catch the dwarf's attention. "Do you know anything about sirens on the Wounded Coast?"

The table fell completely silent before bursting out in drunken laughter, save for Varric and Hawke. Varric threw Hawke a look before focusing on Fenris.

"Well, Broody, there are lots of stories about them. Why do you ask?"

Fenris shrugged. "One of the crew members talked about them today so I was merely curious."

Hawke sat very still beside him. "I'm sure there just that; stories. How could something like that be real?" she joked.

Fenris clicked his tongue and pushed his mug aside. He stood u; from the table and threw down a few coins before maneuvering his way from the booth. He said nothing as he made his way from the bar.

Hawke watched the elf leave, apprehensive. She hadn't known she had been seen on that rock earlier in the day, she had been so caught up in her song that she hadn't noticed the ship until it was too late it seems. Of course she knew of all the stories surrounding her kind; that they were beautiful monsters who lured men to their deaths at sea. In reality, though, it was very wrong. Siren did nothing of the sort. In fact, only one other person could ever hear their songs; their soulmate.

Varric watched Hawke's face, looking for any sign that she might lose her cool. Luckily, she seemed to be fairly calm considering she had almost been caught in mermaid form. It had taken Hawke years for her to trust Varric enough with her secret and Varric would take that secret to the grave with him. Hawke was his best friend and nothing could pry that secret from his lips.

The table finally settled down enough for Varric to finish his story, though he kept a close eye on Hawke for the rest of the night.

-

Weeks followed the incident with no other sightings of the creature, much to Fenris' displeasure. He was hoping that the creature would show itself once more so that Fenris would be able to study it further. He found himself almost constantly thinking of the song he had heard, even sometimes humming it under his breath while he worked. The song was stuck in his head almost as badly as the way the creature looked.

Its purple tail had intrigued Fenris; the color was that of a purple pansy with a darker hue where its fins began. He remembered the way its scales glittered in the sunlight, dancing on the waves around it, entrancing him almost as much as the song. Its short, dark hair flowed listlessly in the wind without a care in the world of what it was doing to him. Fenris had felt a mighty need to run his fingers through that short hair, his digits twitching at the thought.

Over the weeks, Fenris and Hawke had become closer. Fenris learned that she spent most of her time on the Wounded Coast, studying the wildlife of Kirkwall's most dangerous coastline. He learned that her entire family was no longer living, save for her younger sister, and that the sister had long gone off on her own to explore the world. In return, Hawke learned of Fenris' escape from Tevinter and slavery. She had even helped clean up the dilapidated mansion that Fenris inhabited. The two had become close enough that they had shared some close, personal things that only Varric knew otherwise. Fenris had surprisingly learned that he was comfortable with Hawke. There was a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever he was around her that he could never quite understand.

One day, while aimlessly wandering through the stalls and shops of the Lowtown Bazaar, Fenris' sharp ears picked up a soft tinkling of something. He found that the sound strengthened when he walked in a certain direction and eventually he was able to make out the familiar melody of the creature's song. This was the fifth time he had heard the song while roaming Kirkwall and he was becoming increasingly agitated by the phenomenon. With the knowledge that the song become more clear when he walked in a certain direction, Fenris set out to find the source of the song, if he could.

He followed the song through the lower half of the bazaar and up the stairs to the second half, near the Hanged Man. The song progressively became clearer and louder as he paced in its direction. It became so loud that the notes felt as if they were pounding on the inside of his head before he collided with something both hard and soft.

Fenris blinked as the song came to an abrupt halt and looked down to find a dazed looking Hawke sprawled on the ground before him. There were books and pieces of parchment scattered on the stone around her.

"I apologize," he stuttered out quickly, reaching down to assist Hawke in getting up.

Hawke took his offered hand, dusting off her behind before reaching down to gather her things. "No harm done, mostly."

She inspected some scuffs on the tomes she lugged with her. "Good thing Varric expects a bit of damage from me when I borrow his books..."

The pair fell silent. Fenris looked away, ashamed at his lack of awareness while he was so enraptured by the song. Hawke tucked a wayward lock of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat.

"Well, uh, I should be going," Hawke said, a slight blush to her cheeks. She looked to the side and realized they were standing not ten feet from the doors to the Hanged Man. "Unless you would like to get a drink? Maybe as a treat for knocking me on my ass?"

"Oh, sure." Fenris followed Hawke into the bar and sat at a table while she ordered the drinks with his few coins.

When Hawke returned with their drinks, Fenris threw his head back and drained half the tankard in one go. He burped slightly, cheeks tinged pink as the alcohol reacted with his body.

"So you seemed to be in a hurry when you knocked me over. Anything on your mind, pal?" Hawke took a demure sip from her mug, watching Fenris closely.

"Siren..." Fenris mumbled.

Hawke nearly choked on a mouthful of ale. She sputtered and coughed as the brew passed through her esophagus precariously. "Did you say sirens?"

"Do you think they are real?" Fenris stared down at his mug, brooding. Why was he bringing this up with Hawke of all people? It wasn't that he didn't trust Hawke for he did, much to his own surprise. But the mystery of the song and the creature still haunted his dreams and thoughts. Perhaps it was time to get his feelings on the matter off his chest.

"Well, that's sort of a hard question," Hawke said carefully. "They are legends, yes, but there has been some evidence to them. Captain's tales and such. Why do you ask?"

"I think that I have seen one," Fenris admitted. "And her song haunts me still."

Hawke froze, unsure of how to answer. She had thought it was well known that a siren's song was only heard by one person, but this elf seemed not to be privy to such tales of the legendary creatures. Hawke knew for a fact that she was the only mermaid within the limits of Kirkwall, having claimed the territory for her family years before Bethany moved on. The fact that Fenris was bringing up a siren's song meant only one thing: he was Hawke's soulmate.

"But others do not seem to credit my experiences," he interrupted her thoughts. "Perhaps she has chosen me as her next victim and will lure me to my death the next time I am at sea..."

 

"Sirens don't do that!" Hawke blurted out before she caught herself. She recognized a look of surprise on Fenris' face and hastily tried to come up with solid reasoning. "I mean, I have studied the existence of sirens before in my research, and there is nothing to suggest they are harmful creatures. Aside from the slanderous tales given by ship crews and pirates."

"In fact," she continued, "There was a fascinating book written by a man who claimed to have met a siren before. In the book, the siren was described as a mousy creature that avoided humans at all costs. This man claimed to have caught the creature in a net and befriended it before releasing her."

"And what of the songs sirens are reported to use? Is there no evidence of those in this book?" Fenris asked. He thought it strange that Hawke was so ready to defend the creatures. 

"According to the text, a siren's song is heard by only one person; the siren's soulmate," Hawke explained. "The tales of sirens luring men to madness comes from the fact that only one person can hear the song. People assume that the person is going mad because they cannot hear anything."

"So I am not going mad?" Fenris asked under his breath. "That thing I saw weeks ago was a true siren... And I am the only one who can hear her song? But why has the song ben tormenting me these past weeks? I cannot help but to think of it as some malicious attempt to lure me into the creature’s den of torture."

Hawke studied Fenris. He seemed to have given much thought to his predicament, even going so far as to create a whole story behind the song he was hearing. Hawke had known for weeks who Fenris was, had known from the first night that she met him that he was her soulmate. Now it was up to her to decide whether or not she would tell Fenris who she really was.

Having come to her decision, Hawke pressed on before she lost her nerve. She looked Fenris in the eye and began to hum. "Does the song sound something like this?" she asked in a pause.

Fenris' green eyes widened, completely taken aback. The melody of the song washed over him unexpectedly loud and clear. The source which had eluded him for weeks was sitting directly in front of him, in the form of a small woman he had met one night as Varric's close friend.

Before he realized what he was doing, Fenris leaned forward and raise one hand to touch Hawke's cheek. The song abruptly stopped as Hawke practically jumped from her seat. 

"I have to go," she whispered before gathering her books and papers. She didn't raise her head to meet Fenris' stare as she hurried out of the Hang Man, disappearing into the sea of people outside the door. 

Fenris sat in his place, dumbstruck. Could it be possible? Was Hawke, proclaimed best friend of the viscount, the sole reason for his sleepless nights? All of his past anger over the identity of the creature surged up inside of him. Anger towards Hawke, towards himself for not paying enough attention to the woman. How could he have trusted her with his own secrets when she was hiding something like that from him? 

The idea of being someone's soulmate was completely foreign to Fenris. He had spent his entire life in the captivity of Danarius and then running from said captor. The only thing he was ever grateful for was the lyrium running through his blood, and even then, he resented the former magister for the markings. Suddenly he was no longer just Fenris, escaped slave and occasional mercenary. Now he was Fenris, soulmate of the siren Hawke.

In a fit of anger Fenris bolted from his seat and dashed out the door. He stopped just outside, letting the door slam shut behind him, and looked around for the small woman who had literally changed his world with one song. Suddenly everything made sense and his anger evaporated just as quickly as it had manifested. The warm feeling in his insides when he was around her, the smell of the sea that permeated the air surrounding the woman. Everything made sense.

Fenris stood outside the Hanged Man, weighing his options. If he were to follow Hawke, he had no idea what she might do. Perhaps she would try to run away from him. Did he want that? Did he want Hawke to run away and pretend their connection was never there? Fenris knew in his gut that he didn't. He liked Hawke. He didn't want her to disappear from his world forever.

Decision to go after made, Fenris ran as fast as his feet could carry him towards the coast. Luckily for him, Hawke had left a veritable trail of fallen books and parchment in her escape. Fenris followed the trail of items to a beach on the Wounded Coast; the very same rock on which he had first seen Hawke was not one mile from the shoreline. 

Hawke herself stood knee-deep in the wake, walking slowly away from the shore. She heard Fenris' swift footsteps and labored breath behind her and she turned to give him a sad smile.

"I'm sorry, Fenris," she apologized. "I cannot control who can hear my song."

"Why are you sorry, Hawke?" Fenris huffed out.

"I do not wish to take away your newfound freedom by trapping you in a relationship determined by fate. It would not be fair."

Fenris blinked. He didn't know that Hawke held his freedom in such high regard. His heart soared at the obvious respect Hawke had for him; it was a feeling that he was altogether unfamiliar with given his past. Fenris waded into the water after Hawke, taking her face in his hands when he reached her.

Hawke's purple eyes stared up into his sadly, searching for something she seemed afraid to find. Rejection, maybe. It was her biggest fear, after all. Her own mother had rejected her after Carver's death and even Bethany had left to find her own way in the world without her overbearing big sister. Hawke teared up at the thought that even her soulmate might reject her.

With his thumb Fenris wiped a tear from Hawke's eye softly. Without giving her time to react, he lowered his head and met her lips with his own. His tongue traced the outline of her bottom lip, asking for entrance. He noticed that she was trembling as she opened her mouth. But not in fear, he noted, for she had willingly opened herself to him.

Standing in the waters of the Wounded Coast, Fenris and Hawke remained wrapped in each other's embrace, lips melded together. Hawke had finally found her soulmate. Her soul sang its song, wrapping them in a sweet melody that touched the heart.

Fenris smiled against her lips when he heard the all too familiar melody drift into his ears. He gave himself up to the siren's call.

**Author's Note:**

> yes i know that i twisted the meaning of "siren" and that mythical sirens did in fact lure men to their deaths, but this is what interpretation is for!! I much prefer that siren's are harmless and are just looking for love. Though this is short of a were-siren? either way, I hope you enjoyed!!! kudos and comments are love! <3
> 
> find me on tumblr: theghoulthatwrites :3c


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